3/21/2013

Another day brings yet another update on the troubled western Jane Got a Gun, which recently saw stars Michael Fassbender and director Lynne Ramsay abruptly leave the film just as production was set to begin. Jude Law stepped in to fill Fassbender's shoes, but due to all the behind-the-scenes drama he also made for the exits. With Gavin O'Connor (Miracle) filling in for Ramsay, the search was on for someone to replace Law, and now a few names have emerged.
The LA Times reports that Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges, and Jake Gyllenhaal are on the list to take on the villain role, the leader of the Bishop Boys gang who gun down the outlaw husband of Natalie Portman's character. When she decides to take up arms and defend her home, she seeks the help of a gunslinger and former flame played by Joel Edgerton.

The choices are interesting, and depending on who is chosen could change the texture of the film considerably. Maguire and Gyllenhaal would be taking on a very different sort of role than they are accustomed to. Bridges may make the most obvious sense, but they would obviously need to age up the bad guy considerably, possibly requiring a script rewrite.

As for Ramsay, some are saying she's dealing with some personal issues and may have returned to the U.K. This could still end up in the courtroom, as producer Scott Steindorf suggests she's in complete breach of her contract.